TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN

Taiwanese popcorn chicken

TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN

#SIAintheKitchen

One of my favourite things to eat when I go to bubble tea or Taiwanese restaurants is Taiwanese popcorn chicken. Crispy deep-fried chicken featuring the prominent Chinese five spice and tossed with stir-fried basil. It’s super tasty, crunchy and VERY addictive. It’s like crack; I’m not kidding.

I’ve always wanted to try making this at home but just have a massive hate for deep-frying things. Deep-frying requires a ton of oil and the aftermath requires a bitch of a clean up and generally, I just dislike that form of cooking. It’s funny but that was always the main turn off. I had never looked up a recipe but it couldn’t be that hard, could it?

Fast forward to now. My boyfriend was gifted a ginormous basil plant. I had already made pesto, caprese salad and I needed another way to use up the basil. It was time to make poporn chicken.

I mainly used Stephanie Le’s recipe of I Am A Food Blog fame for an oven-baked version that was surprinsgly so crispy and delicious! I made some minor modifications for a mildly spicy version and with a brush of oil to get it even crispier. Even with doubling the recipe, I was kicking myself for not doubling it twice over. It was gone within 15 minutes. So crispy and tender and the marinade was completely delicious. Can’t wait to make this again!

TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN - serves 2 - 4 (adapted from I Am A Food Blog)

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

  • 3 tbsp Chinese five spice powder

  • 2 tbsp chili oil

  • 2 tsps granulated sugar

  • freshly ground black pepper, as needed

  • 5 tbsp cornstarch

  • 2 tsps vegetable oil

  • 1 bunch basil, leaves only

Marinate all of the ingredients except the cornstarch and vegetable oil. Cover and marinate for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush the foil with the vegetable oil and set aside.

Transfer the chicken to a Ziplock bag and toss with 1/2 of the cornstarch until coated. Toss with the remaining cornstarch until the mixture looks dry. Transfer the chicken pieces and separate on the baking sheet. Bake for 17 minutes and flip the chicken pieces once over and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Toss with basil (fresh or fried in oil) and serve immediately with beer.

ASIAN, MEAT, TAIWANESEStephanie SiaTaiwanese popcorn chicken, Taiwanese food, popcorn chicken recipe, taiwanes food, Taiwanese recipes, Taiwanese cookingComment